No need for sides to be boring. Spicy Sliced Sweet Potato will make your taste buds dance. Full of Eastern flavors, this side can be ready in minutes.
Serves 4
1 medium yam, narrow not fat, peeled and thinly sliced, about 2 cups (480 ml)
1 cup (240 ml) fresh orange juice (fresh makes a difference)
¼ cup water
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp (15 ml) unsalted butter
Kosher salt
- In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the yam slices for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pan, combine the orange juice, water, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. Add the yams and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from saucepan and stir in butter. Season with salt to taste. Serve.
More Recipes You'll Love
Spicy sliced sweet potato is a quick Moroccan-inspired side where yam ribbons simmer in fresh orange juice with coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. The spices smell like a market stall, and the butter stirred in at the end glazes every slice. It takes fifteen minutes and makes a plain roast chicken taste exotic.
Pro Tips
- Choose a narrow yam rather than a fat one. Slim tubers give you long, elegant slices that cook evenly in the spiced juice.
- Blanch the slices for exactly one minute before the simmer. That step removes the surface starch so the orange juice stays glossy instead of chalky.
- Use fresh-squeezed orange juice. Concentrate or shelf-stable juice tastes cooked and dull next to those warm spices.
- Stir in the butter off the heat at the very end. It emulsifies with the reduced juice into a glaze instead of separating into grease.
Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy is this dish?
Not hot at all — the spices are warm and aromatic rather than fiery. Coriander, cumin, and cinnamon give fragrance without any chili heat.
Can I use dried orange juice instead of fresh?
Fresh really makes the difference here. If you must substitute, squeeze a fresh lime into bottled juice to bring back some of that bright top note.
What does this side dish go with?
Roast chicken, lamb, or pork all love the orange-spice glaze. It also works as a bed for grilled fish fillets.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the yam slices for 1 minute.
- Drain and set aside.
- In the same pan, combine the orange juice, water, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon.
- Add the yams and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from saucepan and stir in butter.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Serve.
